


Chokeholds and Hot Chocolate

by peacefulboo



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, mention of Donna Smoak, mention of John Diggle, non detailed recounting of an assualt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2014-11-06
Packaged: 2018-02-24 08:11:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2574401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacefulboo/pseuds/peacefulboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After too many nights with the same disturbing dreams, Felicity takes Sara up on the unspoken offer for self-defense training. And then there's hot chocolate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chokeholds and Hot Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> This is mostly a Sara and Felicity friendship piece that could have taken place sometime between Time of Death and The Promise. It was sparked by Felicity's awesome BAMFness in 3.05. I hope you dig it!

“I need you teach me how to get out of holds.”

Sara looks up to see an obviously exhausted Felicity descending the stairs looking determined as hell. It’s obvious she’s not going to take no for an answer. 

It’s just the two of them in the lair. Oliver’s off with Thea and Mrs. Queen and Diggle’s acting as their driver. But Felicity would know that. She’s chosen Sara to teach her on purpose and she’s picked a time when the rest of the team will be gone. Sara decides she’ll follow up on the why’s later. 

Despite her exhaustion, Felicity screams nervous energy. She’s bouncing on the balls of her feet as she leans against Sara’s work station, her fingers sliding back and fourth against a scratch in the table top. 

“What kind of holds?”

“All of them. Chokeholds, hair holds, holds from behind mostly but all of it I guess.” Felicity shrugs. She raises her eye brown at “hair holds.” Another thing to follow up on. 

“I can do that.” Sara agrees. “Let me just finish with this sample.” 

Felicity heads to the wing chun dummy and slowly starts through some hitting and blocking exercises. She’s tired as hell but she is fueled by the fear that flooded her during her dreams last night. 

She shrieks and bucks when Sara grips her in a choke hold from behind, keeping steady but fairly light pressure. In her panic, Felicity bucks and pulls agains Sara’s arms, her efforts completely impotent. Sara doesn’t let go and Felicity’s panic builds and builds until she starts to sob. 

Only then does Sara ease up. Felicity slides to the floor in a heap. 

“Let it out, sweetie. Let it out.” Sara murmurs into Felicity’s hair as she continues to cry. They stay in this position for a while, Sara soothing Felicity as her sobs ebb and flow until they finally slow enough for her to catch her breath a bit.

“Fuck. I’m going to have the worst head ache after this,” Felicity says as her sobs subside into those ridiculous hiccups that are heart wrenching on four-year-olds but out of place in the body of an adult woman. 

If Sara’s surprised by her first words, she keeps it to herself, only allowing a small smile in amusement. Instead she softly brushes Felicity’s hair out of her face, hands her some tissues and waits. 

“Has Oliver ever told you about The Count?” Felicity’s voice is shaky and low. 

Sara nods. She doesn’t know much, only that The Count’s the only person Oliver’s killed in almost a year. And that he killed him while saving Felicity. Sara approves of the exception but keeps those thoughts to herself. 

“I was stupid and went on a mission by myself. No back up, really. I got caught.” She stops, her right hand moves to cup the back of her neck while her left toys with the bright pink thread on her Nikes. 

“The Count was creepy as fuck. He mostly stayed behind me. He touched my hair and my shoulders and my neck and - ugh. He was creepy.” Felicity sighs, then hops up to her feet and heads toward the mini fridge to get some water. She grabs two then returns, handing one to Sara. 

Sara’s not exactly thirsty but she takes it anyway allowing Felicity the moment to gather her thoughts. 

“Anyway. In the end, he had me by the hair and had the syringe to my neck and I just froze. And sobbed like a little kid. It was gross and I felt so stupid and helpless. And then Oliver…”

Sara understands why she trails off, even if she disagrees with Felicity’s sense of guilt. No one but Felicity questions Oliver’s decision to eliminate The Count. 

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Sara replies. “Thank you for telling me.” 

Felicity rolls her eyes and replies, “It’s nothing like what you’ve - ”

“No.” Sara interrupts. “Don’t do that. Don’t do that thing where you compare my hurt to yours and find yours unworthy of mentioning. It’s a cliche but it’s all relative. You were hurt and you were right to be scared. It was normal and okay to be scared. To cry.”

“I doubt you ever cried,” Felicity says it with pride and a fierceness that makes Sara smile and shake her head. 

“I cried.” She doesn’t elaborate, but she also doesn’t allow for any further trips down memory lane. Instead she hops up and slips off her jacket. 

“Ok. So lets start with a simple chokehold. We’ll add in weapons later.”

Sara’s a good teacher. Patient, encouraging. She doesn’t let Felicity get away with whining and once she’s sure Felicity can do it, she doesn’t give up until Felicity’s broken a hold. 

The first time she’s successful, Felicity does the most adorable, spazzy victory dance, all flailing arms and bobbing head. She shrieks with laughter and then taunts Sara like a football player asking the other team to beat the shit out of him. Sara laughs and takes it in stride and once Felicity’s had her moment, she quietly sweeps her legs out from under her. 

Felicity lands on her back, the wind momentarily knocked out of her. “Fuck you, Lance. You’re totally gonna get it now.”

“Come and get me, Smoak,” Sara taunts back, raising her eyebrows in challenge. 

“Oh, I’m gonna,” Felicity croaks out from where she is lying on the ground. “Just as soon as I can breathe again.” She lets out a soft laugh, then groans. Damn her whole body hurts. 

The rest of the crew are due back to the lair, so Sara lends Felicity a hand up and they both take turns hitting the shower. 

“You feel better?” Sara asks when Felicity returns to the main room of the lair. The tone of her voice tells Felicity that’s she’s not just talking about the physical relief the shower has offered. Felicity joins her on the little couch they’ve recently moved in now that there’s more people in the lair on a regular basis.

“I do. Thank you.” Felicity pauses before continuing, “I have dreams. I’ve always had dreams. I have a very, very, vivid imagination. I was the worst sleeper as a kid. Especially after my dad left.” She looks up at Sara, startled. Sara figures she doesn’t talk about her dad to too many people. Felicity continues, “My poor mother. She’d always complain about the wrinkles the lack of sleep must be giving her.”

“Anyway, dreams are normal for me. But these ones of The Count are super vivid. And weird. It’s never just a memory playing out. My brain takes the creepy and makes it creepier. Lately it’s been every night and I just…I need them to stop. I need to be able to sleep. And I figure if there’s part of me that knows I can take care of it myself. Or at least have a chance.” Felicity shrugs. 

Sara moves to hug Felicity slowly, doing her best to project her movement as obviously as possible and giving Felicity the chance to refuse the contact. Felicity may have asked her to teach her but that doesn’t mean her body doesn’t now have a clear memory of being attacked over and over by her friend. 

But it’s Felicity and so of course she hugs back, long and strong and full of thanks and grace. Sara’s missed hugs. Oliver gives good hugs, but there’s something about hugging a woman that’s softer and kind. She’s missed it. They stay in that position long enough for Felicity to fall asleep. Sara has work to do but she leaves it be. They’ve got some leeway on the timing so she lets Felicity sleep. 

Sara hears the boys coming down the stairs, even as quiet as they are. Her eyes meet Oliver’s as he reaches the bottom, and he gives her a questioning look when he notices Felicity sleeping cuddled up against her. Sara cocks her head, then shakes it slightly, letting him know everything’s okay. 

Felicity wakes a few minutes later and they all get back to their day. 

Sara has a large, dark purple, solid bruise to her solar plexus that Oliver questions that night. She doesn’t tell him where it’s from. While Felicity didn’t state it specifically, Sara knows these sessions are private. Her friend will share it with Oliver and Diggle when she’s ready, or never at all. 

But she knows he’d be proud of his girl. 

*** Felicity is in the lair the next morning bright and early. Sara and Oliver are already up, Oliver doing circuit training and Sara’s just finishing a yoga session on the mats. She smiles over at Felicity when she walks in. 

Felicity hugs her as soon as she spots her. It’s nice. And a little startling. But Sara’s happy she feels comfortable. She’s even happier when Felicity hands her a thermos and murmurs, “Thank you. For yesterday. It meant a lot.”

“You’re welcome. We’ll work on it some more whenever you want.” 

Felicity nods in agreement and then heads toward her work station. 

Sara unscrews the lid of the thermos and inhales. 

“Is this the famous Mama Smoak hot chocolate that Diggle always talks about?”

“Well it’s not Swiss Miss,” Felicity says looking back at Sara over her shoulder. 

Sara takes a sip and then actually laughs a little in delight. It’s just as amazing as Diggle told them. 

Oliver drops down from the salmon ladder and gently hip checks his girlfriend. He moves to take the thermos from Sara. He’s not much on chocolate and milk makes him gag, but he figures he should try it at least once. Sara practically head butts him to keep his hands off of it. 

“Hey!”

“Nope, Queen. Mine.” Sara’s eyes sparkle as Oliver looks a little offended. 

“So how come Diggle and Sara rate the hot chocolate but not me?”

If Felicity didn’t know better she’d say he actually sounds offended. Instead she rolls her eyes at him. “Poor, poor Oliver. No hot beverages for you.” She winks and him and then turns back to her computer. “At least not from my hands. Don’t even think about it, Mr. Queen.”

Oliver rolls his eyes at her but is glad to see that she’s seems more on her game than she’s looked the last week or so. If the thermos in Sara’s hand is any indicator, he can thank her for that. 

Instead he drops a kiss to her head and moves to work on his newest arrows. Both his girlfriend and his friend are happy and today, he’ll take it as a win.


End file.
